Mitch Daniels for prez sites take strange turn

Remember all the hype surrounding a potential Mitch Daniels presidential bid in the run-up to the 2012 presidential race?

There were Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, websites and online petitions – all intended to "draft" Indiana's governor for president.

Daniels decided a against a run. But what ever happened to all that digital infrastructure? Social news website BuzzFeed took a look and found "it isn't pretty."

The Twitter handle @Mitch_Daniels, whose 6,200 followers still include high-profile Republicans such as U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and political operative Karl Rove, was a leading online voice in the effort.

Today, the account appears to have been completely monetized. Its recent messages tout products such as e-cigarettes, portable clocks, and home security systems.

"Have Complete Privacy And Install Special Quality Windows And Enjoy Your Lifestyle: It is very important," reads one typical Tweet.

Another website, RunMitchRun.com, which launched an online petition drive to draft Daniels in 2012, is also full of gimmicky advertisements. The "About Me" section says the site is now in the hands of a blogger named Mitch who is "trying to figure out this thing they call life."

Daniels supporters called the BuzzFeed post a low blow and dismissed it as "click bait."

"I thought it was kind of cheap and pointless," said Max Eden, who was a student at Yale when he founded the Facebook group, Student Initiative to Draft Daniels.

But Eden, now an education researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, was surprised to find out what had become of his group's old website, studentsfordaniels.com.

"Oh, it appears to be in Chinese now," he said. "I guess that's what happens when you let your URL lapse."